Everything Has Changed
by Bright645
Summary: After season 3, what if Tim was the one who left and Lyla stayed in Dillon.
1. Chapter 1

_Prequel_

"I'm not going" Tim Riggins said out of nowhere. He was cuddled up on the couch, enjoying a beer and watching an old cowboy's game with Lyla Garrity.

"You have to go Tim, they're expecting you." Lyla responded as she twisted so she was looking up him and gazed into his green eyes.

"I'm not leaving you here, please, come with me?" He pleaded as he took her hands in his.

She got up on her knees and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I can't go with you and you know that. I have to stay and help my Dad out with the dealership; it's not doing too well. Besides you're going to be really busy with classes and football, Texas State is a great school."

Tim opened his mouth ready with a witty remark but Lyla shot him a look saying 'don't test me.' With that the conversation was over, he was leaving tomorrow and Lyla wasn't going with him. They both returned their attention back to the game and neither said another word on the subject.

As time passed the two finally got up off the couch and stood facing each other. She soaked in his features, fearing it would be the last time she would see them. She would miss his shaggy brown hair that fell into his green eyes, and his cheek bones. Mostly, she would miss him; he was the one constant she had in her life. He was there for her when her Dad went through money troubles, and when she realized she couldn't go to Vanderbilt.

Tim pulled her into him and she breathed in his familiar musky smell, the one that made her feel at home. He was looking down at her and she stood on her tippy toes to give him a quick kiss. He then gently lifted her chin so his lips met with hers and this time he didn't let her go so quickly. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt him tighten his arms around her back.

After what felt like an eternity Tim reached down and picked her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed and he climbed on top of her, kissing her neck and finding his way back to her lips.

* * *

Tim awoke suddenly from the light pouring into his bedroom, he turned his head over and the clock hanging on the wall read 8:00. It was late in July, meaning the sun was already high in the sky. He turned back to the woman who was lying on his chest, she was still asleep and her brown curls were casted across her face. She stirred slightly and slowly opened her eyes and stared up at him. He lowered his head and gave her a kiss on her forehead and wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly.

She sighed as she relaxed into him; he realized he never wanted this moment to end. He was lost in her chocolate, brown eyes and was already regretting his choice to leave. The room grew lighter as the sun rose in the sky but neither made an effort to move.

A half hour later, Lyla made the first move. She peeled herself from him as she held the sheet close to her naked body. Tim smiled to himself as he caught sight of her back and wanted to trace her spine with his finger. He resisted the urge but instead watched her get dressed

"Billy's going to be here soon to take you to school, you should start getting ready." Lyla said as she pulled up her jeans.

Tim inched himself to the end of the bed and grabbed her wrists and pulled her back onto his bare chest. "Relax, Garrity. Since when is Billy ever on time?" he replied as he kissed her lips softly. Lyla resisted at first, knowing Tim too well to know that he was stalling. Lyla finally gave in deepening the kiss.

"Timmy, time to get this show on the road!" yelled Billy as he walked into the house. With that Lyla shot back and hurried out into the living room to greet Tim's brother, leaving Tim to get ready by himself.

Tim slowly rolled out of bed and proceeded to get dressed as he heard his girl and brother talking and laughing in the other room. The truck was already packed with his stuff, he just needed to pack a duffle bag of clothes and he was set to leave. He finished shoving his closet into his bag and headed out into the living room to join the conversation.

"Look what the cat finally dragged out of bed" Billy said as Tim entered the room. Tim just shrugged off the sarcastic comment as he walked over to his girl and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Will you give us a second, Billy?" Tim asked his older brother.

"I'll be in the truck" Billy replied as he gave his brother a quick wink and headed out of the house to the truck.

"Come with me" Tim whispered into her ear before he turned her around. "Please"

"Tim, don't." Lyla said as she looked up at him. He could see the pain etched onto her flawless face. "You're gunna do great Tim Riggins, you are going to be a big star at Texas State." Lyla wiped a tear that began to fall down her face.

Tim cupped her head in his hands and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Lyla Garrity." He said as he lowered his chin so it rested on top of her head. She tightened her arms around him and squeezed tight.

"I love you, too. Don't forget about me when you become a big college football player" She whimpered, fighting back tears. With that she let go and grabbed his hand, leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Lyla led him out of his house to the passenger side of Billy's truck. "Goodbye, Tim."

"Goodbye, Lyla." He leaned down and gave her one last kiss on the forehead and opened the door to the truck. Tim squeezed her hand and finally let go as he climbed into the cab.

Lyla closed the door and leaned over the open window "Take care of him, Billy." Lyla said to the older brother and he gave a curt nod in reply. She backed away from the truck, allowing Billy to reverse the truck out of the driveway. Lyla waved them goodbye as they turned onto the road and headed out of Dillon. Tim knew that what he needed to get out of town, he just wished he didn't have to leave Lyla there.


	2. Chapter 2

_5 Years Later_

It felt different coming back home for Tim Riggins, it felt like everything had changed although everything looked the same. He was finally coming home after five years; his career in football ended just last month when a tackle had led him to blow out his knee. He had surgery soon thereafter and when he was strong enough to travel, felt it was only right to return home.

Tim was with Billy who drove all the way to Denver to pick him up when he heard the news of his coming home. The two were in Tim's old truck and Billy had just made the turn off of the highway and entered his home town of Dillon, Texas. As he was driving along the old familiar streets he saw Panther Football signs outside of a few houses. A part of him was glad that they kept that tradition alive, even long after Coach Taylor left.

As the two arrived back at their old home, Mindy came out with Tim's two nephews and one niece. Stevie had just turned five and the twins must have been two and a half. Tim just opened the door when the kids ran inside to greet his favourite Uncle. Stevie climbed up into the truck to give him a hug, the other two stranded on the ground.

"Kids, give your uncle Timmy some room!" Mindy yelled as Billy sauntered over to her and gave her a kiss.

Tim struggled to get out of the truck; his knee brace was bulky and kept his leg straight so it wasn't strained. He finally had enough room to hop down onto his good leg and grabbed his crutches. He hopped over to his sister-in-law, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, Mindy."

"I set you up a bed in Stevie's room, hope that's okay." Mindy said as she led everyone back into the house.

"It's perfect, thanks," Tim said as he made his way to the couch. He dropped down and grabbed the remote from the side table and turned on the television. The tv sprung to life and was playing a cartoon, he quickly changed channels, flipping through until he found something reasonable to watch. As he was flipping past ESPN, Tim heard his name and paused on the channel, wanting to hear what it had to say.

_"Tim Riggins has officially retired from football, if you can even call one season in the NFL a career. Riggins was hit during a playoff game against the Ravens. The Bronco's released a statement this morning stating the extent of his knee injury was career ending." _

With that Tim turned off the television all together. "I'm going out, don't wait up." Tim said as he made an effort to get off the couch. He hobbled out the door, not looking back to see the questioning look on his brothers face.

* * *

Lyla Garrity was unpacking the groceries from her black SUV, as she was grabbing the last of bags she heard someone walking by the house. Her back was turned to the side walk and she couldn't see who it was, she figured it was a neighbour walking their dog.

"Lyla?" The presumed neighbour asked from behind her. It was no neighbour, that voice single-handedly made her heart break into a million pieces.

She spun around to see a man with shaggy brown hair hunched over leaning on a pair of crutches. He peered up through his hair, green eyes piercing into her brown ones. Lyla was stunned, she hadn't seen this man in years, and she didn't even know he had returned to Dillon. She was about to say something when she was interrupted by someone running out of the house, calling her name.

" Momma!" yelled the toddler, running without shoes through the grass towards her. He was small but advanced for his age. His light brown hair was spiked into a fake Mohawk, his choice, and his hazel green eyes were bright and round.

"Hey, little man" She said as she picked up the boy. By this little act she realized she caught the attention of the man standing in front of her. "Carter, can you say hello to Mr. Riggins?"

"Hi" the boy squeaked as he wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face into her hair.

"Baby, what's taking you so long" Lyla heard and turned around to see her boyfriend of almost four years walking out of the house. He walked up to her and pulled her into his side, "Who's this?"

"The name's Tim Riggins" The man leaning on crutches said straightening up and extending his hand.

"Jordan Conrad" Said the man standing beside Lyla as he shook hands with Tim. "Heard about your knee, that has to blow, especially when the play offs were coming up."

"Yeah, man." Tim responded. "I better head back, Billy will be wondering where I went" he made an attempt to turn around but stumbled and almost fell face first onto the side walk but Jordan had reached out at the last second steadying Tim.

"I'll drive you back, you're a long way from home" Lyla said, handing off her son to her boyfriend.

"I'm fine, I got all the way here, I can find my way back." Tim waved her off and started his way back home.

"Tim, just get in the car." Lyla pleaded. Her mind was set and she wasn't taking no for an answer, she walked around to the passenger side to open the door. Tim looked back at her and gave in and hobbled over to the car and jumped in. She walked to her two boys and gave each a kiss on the cheek, "Carter, take care of your Daddy while I'm out."

Lyla jumped into the driver's seat, put the car in reverse and headed out onto the road. The car was silent for a few minutes when Tim finally spoke up, "looks like you got the perfect family."

"Looks like that, doesn't it?" Lyla replied. "Jordon's great with Carter, they get along great. He's really stepped up since we met, I never would have thought we would ever be where we are now."

"That's great, Garrity." Tim replied. "Cute kid you got too."

"He reminds me a lot of his dad" Lyla said, mainly to herself and smiled. "What are you doing back here anyway, Tim?"

"Knee injury, hence the crutches, my career's over." Tim paused, looking over at Lyla. "I hated Denver, I couldn't live there any longer. Besides it was no Texas, I missed my family and I missed you, Lyla."

"Tim" Lyla said exasperated, she stopped the car in front of Billy's house. "Don't start, please."

Tim shrugged it off and exited the vehicle, pausing he turned back to look at Lyla. "Thanks for the ride, Garrity; I guess I'll be seeing you around."

Lyla nodded and watched him retreat into the house. After the door was closed, she broke down. The tears began to fall without any warning and before long she was sobbing uncontrollably. She had moved on long ago, but there was always a piece of her heart that was always going to belong to Tim Riggins.

* * *

**A/N: This is my first fanfic and am still trying to figure everything out. I do have most of this story already written and will be adding new chapters regularly, please review. I am open for suggestions and ideas!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Billy" Tim said as he walked through the front door to his brother's house.

"Where have you been?" Mindy asked. She stood behind the island in the kitchen cutting vegetables for dinner.

"Just walked around town" Tim responded as he hobbled to the couch and propped his leg up on the coffee table. "Can you grab me a beer, Billy?"

"I thought you stopped drinking?" Billy questioned as he went into the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge and opened them.

"Well I'm not playing football anymore and there's no better time to drink then now" Tim replied grabbing the beer from his brother and took a long sip. The day Tim had left Dillon he had quit drinking, he wanted to make Lyla proud of him and succeed. It also helped that Texas State had strict rules that anyone caught drinking or of any illegal substances would be dismissed from sports indefinitely.

"You shouldn't be drinking when you're on pain pills, Tim" Mindy said from behind the counter.

"He's fine, Mind." Billy spoke up as he went to sit beside his brother.

"I saw Lyla today" Tim said out of nowhere, taking the couple by surprise. "You never told me she had a kid and a husband"

Billy and Mindy looked at each other from across the room, neither knowing how to reply. One of the babies started crying and Billy sprang from the couch to take care of it. "We didn't know how to tell you." Mindy finally said. She stepped out behind the counter and made her way to the couch. "They're not married, Tim. But I've heard rumours going around town that he's going to propose."

"He seems like a tool." Tim remarked.

"Do you still love her?" Mindy asked curiously.

Tim gave a curt nod and finished off his beer. Mindy squeezed his shoulder and returned to preparing dinner.

"Uncle Tim!" Stevie yelled as he tried to scramble out of his fathers' grip. Billy placed him on the ground and the boy ran and jumped right up on the couch to sit beside Tim.

Tim looked at his nephew; he had missed many holidays and birthdays and wondered how this kid grew up so fast. Stevie must have been one when he last saw him, he now had dirty blonde hair and his green eyes were resembled his own. Tim thought he definitely looked like a Riggins. "There's my favourite nephew"

Stevie crawled onto Tim's lap and started playing with his favourite toy car in his hands. "Dinner's almost ready, y'all better clean up." Mindy announced to the house.

* * *

"You know Tim Riggins?" Jordan asked the second that Lyla walked through the front door to their house.

"He's just an old friend from high school" Lyla replied. She made her way into the kitchen to find the table was set and dinner was ready. Carter was cleaned up and sitting in his high chair, ready to eat. Lyla sat down at one end of the small table beside her son while Jordan sat at the opposite end.

"You never told me you went to high school with Tim Riggins. It's a shame about his knee; they said he was the final key to help the Broncos get to the super bowl. Then he blows it a few playoff games in, that has got to be rough. Of course, with Riggins out, the Broncos don't stand a chance to make it any further." Jordan said.

She was a little aggravated that he was talking about Tim Riggins. "Can we just not talk about football while we're eating dinner, please?" Lyla pleaded.

"Sure, anything for you." Jordan remarked. The two started eating in comfortable silence, Carter occasionally making noises as he ate his dinner. "I need to talk to you about something" Jordan said once everyone was done eating and had started on desert.

Lyla peered up at him and saw that he had a smirk playing upon his lips that lightened up his features. His blue eyes were electrified and with his blonde hair ruffled it made him look somewhat goofy. She nodded, encouraging him to continue, unsure of where he was going with this.

Jordan got up out of his seat and made his way over to kneel beside Lyla and Carter. "You know how much I love you and how much I love Carter. We have been a family since the day he was born and I would like to finalize it. I want us to become a real family and I want Carter to be my son. So Miss Lyla Garrity, will you do me the honour and marry me?" With that he pulled out a tiny box and opened it. Sitting in the case was an elegant ring; It was platinum setting with a 1 carat oval diamond sitting in the middle.

"Of course I will marry you" She replied. Jordan pulled out the ring and placed it onto her left ring finger.

"One last thing, I would like to adopt Carter." Jordan said. Lyla hesitated for a moment, Carter wasn't biologically his son but he had always treated him like his own. Jordan had been around since the very day that Carter was born, she knew this day was coming but she hadn't expected it so soon. "We'll talk about it later; I can see your still in shock from the marriage proposal." With that Lyla pulled her fiancé to her and kissed him.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a month since Tim moved back into Dillon and two months since his knee surgery. He had graduated to a smaller knee brace and a cane. Tim had been going on daily walks for the past week, gradually making it further into town. He was determined to at least make it to the park by the end of the week; his physiotherapist wasn't pushing him hard enough so he had to do it on his own. The house was empty; Billy was at Riggins Rigs and Tim wasn't exactly sure where Mindy was.

After breakfast Tim got dressed, putting on an old Panthers sweater and shorts. He grabbed his I-Pod before leaving the house and plugged his headphones into his ears. It was a warm Texas morning but had a slight chill to the air, Spring was arriving and it was becoming evident by the heat. When Tim finally reached to the point he made yesterday he was exhausted but had his destination in mind.

Tim finally reached the Park and he was beyond exhausted so he decided to take a seat on the bench that was sitting in front of the playground. He chugged half a bottle of water, the sun rising higher in the sky and the heat picking up. He closed his eyes, basking in the rays. Tim missed Texas and the heat, back in Denver it was freezing, something Tim wasn't used to. He did, however, enjoy the snow and mountains but nothing compared to Texas.

"Am I interrupting something?" Tim heard from behind him. He opened his eyes and turned around to see Lyla standing there.

"Just taking in the view" Tim replied glancing over the park as he quickly removed his ear buds. There were a dozen kids running around on the playground. A few dogs and their owners playing fetch on the football field with runners entering and exiting the forest that was lining the field.

"You must have missed the heat while you were in Denver" Lyla said as she walked to the front of the bench and sat down beside Tim.

"You have no idea" Tim countered, laughing a little to himself. "What are you doing here, Garrity?

"Carter wanted a day at the park, he's playing over there." She responded pointing to a little boy struggling to keep up with the older kids.

"Cute kid" Tim nodded as they watched Carter running up and down the jungle gym.

"I kind of like him. So how have you been?" Lyla asked.

"Alright, I've graduated to just a cane." Tim replied pointing to his walking stick that was resting on the bench beside him.

"That's great, Tim!" Lyla exclaimed.

"So what have you been up to since I left, Garrity?"

"Besides the obvious? After you left, I helped my Dad out with the dealership but that didn't work, so we opened a bar and that really took off. Then I met Jordan and we had Carter, I was able to go to school. I am now graduating soon and I'm going to become a nurse and on the weekends I volunteer at the hospital . I couldn't really afford med school and this was the next best thing, I really do love it though. And that's everything you've missed while being a huge football star, Mr. Tim Riggins."

"Sounds like you got it all" Tim responded.

"I do." Lyla said smiling to herself. "How was your football career?"

"What career? I barely had a year in the NFL before I blew out my knee, not much to tell." Tim replied.

"Momma!" Carter cried running towards the bench. His face was red and scrunched up, tears flowing freely down his face.

"What's wrong, baby?" Lyla asked the toddler. Once he was within arm's reach she scooped him up and hugged him tight. He was sobbing and talking incoherently but she held him close until he was feeling better. He pushed himself away from her and finally noticed that they weren't alone. "Carter can you say hello to Mr. Riggins?"

"Hi" he whispered as he wiped the remaining tears from his face.

"Hey, little guy" Tim said as he lowered himself so he was eye to eye with the toddler.

"Carter, do you want to show Mr. Riggins your new football?" Lyla inquired as she pulled a small sized football out of her bag. "He used to play for the Broncos, he's a big football star, maybe he can teach you how to throw"

"I'm a great teacher" Tim said to Carter. He grabbed the football from Lyla and slowly got up to his feet. "Want to come play?" Carter looked up at his mom and once she gave him a nod he jumped up and began running onto the football field. Tim slowly caught up to the little boy, the cane giving him a disadvantage. He bended over the toddler, showing him the correct way to hold his pint sized football and how to throw.

* * *

Lyla sat on the park bench for half of the afternoon watching her son and Tim playing a bit of football. Tim first taught Carter how to throw and made his way up to tackling. Carter was running circles around Tim and all he could do was hobble after the boy. After what felt like a good hour of the two playing Tim collapsed, sprawled across the ground. Carter jumped on top of him and started tickling him, begging him to get up.

Lyla took the hint that Tim was exhausted and sauntered over to rescue him. "What are you boys up to?" She asked as she finally reached the two lying on the ground.

"Playing football, Momma, come play!" Carter exclaimed.

"Yeah, come play, Garrity" Tim joined in as he grabbed Lylas' wrist and pulled her to the ground beside him.

Lyla propped herself up on her side and stared at her son, who was now curled up on top of Tim. "Ready to go, baby?" She asked Carter.

"Yeah, I'm beat." Tim replied laughing.

"Tim!" Lyla cried giving him a shove, laughing. "Here I'll take him." Lyla reached out to grab her son off Tim.

"I got him, he may be a bit heavier than a football but I won't drop him." Tim said as he struggled to get up. Once standing on his two feet he held Carter in one hand and his cane in the other.

"I'm parked over there" Lyla pointed to the parking lot, her black SUV was one of the few cars still sitting in the lot. She led the way to her car opening the door when they finally arrived. Carter was passed out on Tims' shoulder so he gently placed him into the car seat, backing away so Lyla could strap him in.

"He's going to be a great football player someday" Tim said while Lyla finished strapping her son in.

"Living in Texas, I don't think he'll have a choice." Lyla replied laughing. "Thanks for everything today, Tim."

"Not a big deal, Garrity." Tim nodded and turned around to start walking home.

"Carter's having a birthday party next week, he'll be four. You're more than welcome to come, bring Mindy, Billy and the kids!" Lyla offered.

"Sure, thanks." With that Tim was on his way home and Lyla got into her car.

Ten minutes later Lyla was parked outside the grocery store, she grabbed her unwilling son from the back and placed him in the front of shopping cart. Lyla guided her way into the store and found her way around, grabbing items from the shelf that she needed. Her son was fast asleep in the seat of the cart and she pushed him around the store effortlessly.

As she was turning down the cereal aisle she saw a blonde woman with two small kids in the buggy and she knew that even from a distance that it was Mindy Riggings. "Hello, Mindy" Lyla said as she approached.

"Hi." Mindy replied rather curtly. Mindy looked tired, like she had been running around after the twins all day, her blonde hair was pulled into a messy pony tail and her shirt had a few stains.

"How have you been?" Lyla asked politely.

"Oh cut the crap, Garrity. I know you have no interest in me or my family and especially Tim." Mindy replied.

"I have no idea-"

"You have to tell him" Mindy interupted. "Tell Tim or I will."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Stop with the little miss perfect act. That boy has the right to know who his father is" Mindy snarled pointing to Carter in the cart who was still blissfully asleep.

"He has a father; Jordan has stepped up and taken care of Carter since he was born." Lyla stated.

"You need to tell his biological father. You thought we wouldn't notice didn't you?" Mindy snapped. Lyla was genuinely taken aback, no one had ever talked to her like this about her son. "Your son looks just like my kids, and the fact that you gave birth not even nine months after Tim left, your so called boyfriend never even showed his face in Dillon until after he was born."

Lyla had had enough of the accusations and turned around to walk away, she was done with the conversation. "Tell Tim, or I will." She heard Mindy yell after her. Lyla kept walking, not bothering to look back. She knew she had to tell Tim the truth and that she even needed to tell Jordan. She had no idea what kind of mess she was getting herself into, all she knew is that she wanted out.

* * *

**A/N: This is all I have so far, hoping to get the next chapter up in a few days! I finally have a solid idea of where I want to go from here. Please review and I am open to suggestions! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

The day Tim had been waiting for all week had arrived, it was Carter's birthday. He couldn't quite understand it but he felt a connection to the boy and he wanted to be there on his big day. By the time lunch rolled around he couldn't contain his excitement; any day that he got to spend with Lyla was guaranteed to be a good day.

Billy drove the family to Lyla and Jordan's house, Mindy sat up front while Tim got to sit in the back seat beside Stevie. They all rolled up to the big house, balloons were tied to the mailbox that was located at the end of the driveway. There were also balloons lining the pathway that led to the backyard.

As soon as the vehicle stopped Tim hopped out, not bothering to help Mindy or Billy with the kids. He opened the trunk and grabbed the present that he had bought for Carter, and then headed into the backyard to join the party. He knew that Mindy was pissed at him for begging her and the kids to show up, he knew how Mindy felt about Lyla. He never understood why because in high school they started to get along great, something must have happened while he was gone.

Tim shrugged off all thoughts of his sister-in-law and headed through the gate and into the backyard. There was a bounce house set up in the far corner, with a few kids jumping around inside. There was a clown close to the house building balloon animals for the group of kids surrounding him. Finally in the middle of the yard were about ten kids of different ages playing football. He walked over to the table that were piled high with gifts and placed his parcel in an empty space.

Tim found his way to the adults who were standing around the table that held chips, fruits, vegetables and other various party foods. He looked into one of the coolers and found a beer, he picked one up and opened it. "How's the knee doing?" He heard from an unknown source. Tim turned around to find Jordan standing at the barbeque flipping burgers.

"It's good, thanks." Tim smiled at the man. He looked him up and down, trying to figure out what this guy has that he doesn't. He probably has a job; Lyla's big on working and as of right now Tim is currently unemployed. The guy doesn't have good hair; his hairline looks to be receding which means he's probably close to death. When it all came down to it, he had Lyla and that's all that mattered.

"Hey, baby, how's the barbequing going?" Lyla asked as she came out of the house. She waltzed over to Jordan and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Much better now that you're here." Jordon replied. He tilted his head down to give her a quick kiss and returned his attention back to the food he was preparing.

Tim cleared his throat, hoping to get Lyla's attention, she was hanging off Jordan's' shoulder and slowly glanced up at him. When she finally registered who was standing in front of her she grinned, "Hey, Tim."

"Hi, Lyla" Tim replied and flashed her a smile. He was mesmerized by the women standing in front of him. She was wearing a white V-neck and jeans, simple but somehow managed to make her look amazing. Out of nowhere Billy ran up and tackled him; he didn't get knocked to the ground but fell forward.

"The kids are looking for you, Timmy. They want to play with the big football star, so come on and show everyone what you got!" Billy said as he straightened up. He never knew that Tim was in the middle of something and pushed him towards the kids who were playing football in the middle of the yard.

"Cake and Presents!" Tim heard someone yell an hour later. By that point he had already been tackled numerous times by the kids and his knee was starting to protest all the aggression.

"Finally" Tim murmured. He joined the crowd which was surrounding Carter who was sitting at a picnic table. Everyone started singing 'Happy Birthday' when Jordan and Lyla came out of the house carrying the cake. Tim joined in and watched as Carter blew out the four candles and everyone clapped.

Cake was cut and passed around, Tim got a piece and found Billy and Mindy feeding the three kids at a small table by the bounce house. He looked over towards the crowd and watched as Lyla was handing out cake and laughing as she interacted with the other party guests. Tim thought she looked lighter and happier than he had ever seen her before and he knew he was happy for her, no matter what fool she was with.

When everyone was done with the cake, the kids sat on the grass in a circle ready for Carter to open his presents. The adults stood above supervising and talking amongst each other. Carter raced through his presents and when he finally came upon a big box wrapped in paper covered in footballs, Tim grew excited. He watched the four year old rip open the package to reveal a football helmet with the Bronco's logo on the side, a regular sized football and Bronco's jersey.

"Hold up the Jersey" Jordan stepped in pointing to the jersey that was lying in Carters' lap. The boy ignored his father and put the helmet on his head and did up all the straps, it was too big but he didn't care. When he was done playing with the helmet he threw the jersey on and stood up for everyone to see. The back of the jersey had the number 33 and Riggins written above it.

Carter looked over his shoulder and when he realized what it said and who it was from he ran over to Tim. The boy jumped up and Tim was swift enough to catch him and pick him up. "Thank you so much, Mr. Riggins!"

"No problem, Carter." Tim said laughing at the boy's enthusiasm.

"We have to go play, right now!" Carter yelled. With that Tim put him down and when the kid was finally on the ground grabbed Tim's hand and dragged him back to where the helmet was and threw it on. He then grabbed the football and dragged Tim back to the middle of the yard where they were playing football before. The other kids ran over, joining in on the action.

Tim spent the remainder of the afternoon playing football with Carter and his friends. When it began to grow dark out, kids started dispersing from the game and going home. Soon it was just Tim and Carter playing around with the football, Billy and Mindy took the kids home a while ago but Tim decided on staying. He really started to adore Carter and all the energy he possessed and the love of football.

"Carter, baby, it's almost time for bed. Say good night to Mr. Riggins." Lyla yelled over to the boys. Carter was not happy that he was being forced to go inside; he was having too much fun.

"Alright." Carter said.

Tim noticed he was a little upset and so he bent down to boy and gave him a hug. "Anytime that you want to play football, just give me a call." With that Carter smiled and ran into the house.

"What'd you say to him?" Lyla asked.

"It's a secret" Tim responded as he walked over to her. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"Fiancé. And he had a family emergency in Austin he had to go attend to." Lyla said. Tim watched her for a brief second and then began helping her clean up the mess from the party. "You don't have to do that, Tim."

"I want to."

* * *

**A/N: I realized I left it off at a cliffhanger in the last chapter so I threw this one together quickly. I was really lacking the motivation to even finish this story but with everyone's interest it made me want to expand on this. The next chapter may take me a few days, but I will try hard to get it up as soon as possible. The next part I have planned will be really Tim/Lyla focused and I want to make it perfect for everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and wasn't too boring for you all. Please review and if you have any suggestions, let me know! :) **


	6. Chapter 6

A little while later Lyla and Tim had managed to clean most of the mess from the party. It was already dark out and Carter had been in bed for a while. The two worked in comfortable silence, occasionally glancing up and smiling at each other.

"So you and Jordan are really getting married?" Tim asked as he was finishing cleaning up the mess in the backyard.

Lyla froze, she almost felt uncomfortable talking about her fiancé with her ex-boyfriend. "Yes, Tim. We really are getting married."

"How'd you two meet?" He looked up and Lyla could tell he was genuinely curious about her situation.

Lyla gave in and replied to him. "After you left, I took a year off from school and volunteered in the hospital. He was a first year intern in oncology back then, we really got to know each other and started dating shortly after that."

"So you moved on, just like that?" He grabbed wrapping paper off the ground and was shoving it into garbage bags, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Tim, it wasn't like that." Lyla pleaded. She stopped what she doing and walked over to him, hoping that he would give her the chance to explain.

"We could have made things work, I called you but you never called me back. Austin isn't that far from Dillon, we could have stayed together!" Tim turned around and she could see he was hurt more than he ever let on.

"It never would have worked, Tim. I wanted more for you than this town, you needed a clean break." She replied.

"You deserved more than this town too, I was never supposed to leave. I should have stayed in Dillon."

"Don't say that, Tim." Lyla said as she reached out and grabbed him his wrist to stop him from cleaning.

"All I wanted was to be with you." He looked up at her and his hair fell into his eyes. She remembered everything she went through after he left and her heart broke all over again.

Tim left the day after she found out she was pregnant. She couldn't stop him, it was too late. So Lyla let him leave and felt it was easier if she never heard from him again. Although, she knew one day he would return but she hoped that would be after he had a long career in the NFL. She truly wanted more for him; she wanted to see him succeed because she loved him so much.

"What do you want now, Tim?" Lyla asked as Tim straightened up and she let go of him.

"You."

Tim took a step closer to Lyla and lift his right hand up to grip her neck. She closed her eyes and let herself be pulled in close to him. As he tilted his head down, she lifted her chin up so her lips met his. Lyla gave in and allowed herself to kiss the man she used to love.

After a minute she snapped to attention and pushed him away from her, breaking the kiss. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because I love you, Lyla Garrity."

"Tim" When he realized that she really had moved on for good he began to walk away.

Lyla reached out and grabbed his arm and he slowly turned around. She stood on the tip of her toes, like she used to do in high school, and kissed him. He broke apart and looked down at her, his green eyes questioned her, wondering if this was allowed. She slowly closed her eyes and nodded.

Tim took no time in reaching down and kissing her. It felt right to Lyla and somehow she felt alive for the first time in almost five years, she knew this is what she had been missing. She deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as he ran his hands through her hand and down her back. She reached back in front of her undoing the buttons of his plaid shirt and pulling it off of his shoulders and dropping it behind him.

He reciprocated by grabbing the hem of her t-shirt and pulling it up over her head. They continued kissing and Lyla lead them through the sliding back doors into the house. She broke apart and grabbed his hand leading to her bedroom. She kissed him as they attempted to get up the stairs, neither one wanting to break apart. When they reached the top she lead him down the hall, closing her sons door on the way.

Her bedroom was at the very end the hallway, Tim grabbed her and pushed her through the door, kissing her passionately. He broke apart to turn around and quietly close the door behind them. Lyla reached up around his neck and pulled him into her as she sat back on the bed. Tim kneeled down on the bed on top of her, kissing her from her lips and down to her neck. He grabbed her on her sides and dragged her up to the head of the bed and laid her down.

Tim now straddled her and kissed her neck then jumped down to her belly button, kissing his way back up her body. He grasped her hands and brought them up beside her head as he went back to kissing her.

* * *

Lyla woke up early the next day, it was still dark out and moonlight was still shining in through her window. She rolled over to find the spot next to her was abandoned and sighed, relieved that Tim hadn't stayed the night. She flashed back to last night, recalling Tim telling her he loved her. Her mind then wandered to his naked body on top of hers as they had sex, as much as she enjoyed it she wished it never happened. She was a soon-to-be-married woman and she had a son that was in the next room.

She glanced at the clock on the far bed side table, reading 6:30. Lyla begrudgingly rolled out of bed, grabbing her pyjamas from the dresser on the far side of the room and got dressed. She grabbed the rob hanging on the back of the door and shrugged it on tying it tight. She opened her door and made her way down the hall, ready to start breakfast, knowing her son would be awake soon.

Lyla passed Carter's room and saw the door was open, which meant he was probably already awake. She peaked inside to a foreign scene displayed before her. Tim was lying down on Carter's single bed, a book still open laid on his chest. Her son was curled up under the blankets beside Tim. Lyla took in the scene and smiled, in all the four years she had never seen Jordan and Carter like this. Then she was furious at Tim for doing this, she knew her son was going to ask so many questions, ones that she knew she didn't have the answer to.

Tim stirred and opened his eyes and saw that Lyla was watching him and quietly got out of the bed. He was only in his boxer shorts which made her even more mad but also made her want to take him back to her room and kiss him. She grabbed his wrist pulling him down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"What do you think you're doing, Tim?" Lyla spitted once they were safely in the kitchen downstairs.

"He had a nightmare, I heard him crying and instead of waking you up I comforted him." Tim replied innocently.

"That's not your job; you're going to confuse him! He's four, Tim, and he barely knows you!"

"I'm sorry, I thought I was helping"

"You're not helping, just making things worse." Lyla said as she rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. Tim reached out to touch her but she jumped back, too angry to deal with him. "Just go home, Tim."

"I'm sorry, Lyla." Tim retreated back upstairs silently to get dressed. He made his way back down to the kitchen to leave out the back door.

"Don't go." Carter said as he walked into the kitchen. Lyla was about to speak up to explain to her son that Tim had to go home but she took a look at the boy. He was rubbing his eyes and seemed to really like Tim. "Have breakfast with us, please?"

"Only if it's alright with your mother." Tim replied glancing over at Lyla.

She nodded and watched as her son ran over to Tim and jumped up into his arms, she noticed Tim was getting used to the ambush and was ready for him. Carter wrapped his arms around Tim's neck and it warmed her heart. "Hope you're alight with pancakes." Lyla said from across the room.

"I love pancakes." Tim said as he put Carter back on the ground.

"Come watch cartoons with me Mr. Riggins!" Carter exclaimed as he grabbed Tim's hand.

Tim bent down so he was eye to eye with the boy and said, "I think we're good enough buddies now that you can call me, Tim." He winked at Carter and got up following him into the next room to watch cartons.

"Don't worry about me, guys, I can make breakfast all on my own!" Lyla shouted after them.

A half hour later, Lyla had the table set with pancakes, fruits, orange juice and toast. She called the boys in to eat.

"Wow, looks great, Garrity" Tim remarked as he sat down at one end of the table. Carter dragged his chair and booster seat over towards Tim and sat down.

"Thanks, Tim."

"Momma, Tim's my new best friend!" Carter exclaimed as Lyla dished pancakes onto his plate. She sat down in her seat across from Tim, dishing food onto her own plate.

"Is that right?"

"It is" Tim spoke up. He flashed Lyla a smile and grabbed a stack of pancakes, toast and a pile of fruit.

"Tim, will you come to the zoo with us today?" Carter asked Tim, obviously very anxious to spend more time with his new friend.

"Honey, I'm sure Tim has better things to do today than go with us." Lyla spoke up. She had made a horrible mistake last night and the last thing she wanted was to spend more time with that mistake. She shot Tim a look telling him that he should say no.

"You're in luck, buddy, I never have anything good going for me on Sunday's" Tim said. Lyla was infuriated with Tim but once she saw how happy her son was she let it go.

When everyone was finished with breakfast, Carter was excused and returned to watching cartoons in the living room. Tim helped Lyla clean off the table and started washing the dishes in the sink. Lyla picked up a cloth and began drying the dishes and putting them away in the cupboards. The two worked in a comfortable silence, knowing there were things to be talked about but when it was the right time.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to a snow storm and my lack of wanting to go to school today, this chapter was put together quicker than I thought. I really hope that I can get a new chapter out everyday for you guys. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please review and feel free to drop any suggestions. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

The day was winding down at the zoo and Tim was exhausted. Carter had dragged him around to every exhibit and on every ride. Lyla told him he looked ridiculous on top of an elephant, but he just did it to please the boy. Tim took the time to get to know Carter and he learned that Cater took swimming lessons but as soon as he was old enough he was going to play football. He also learned little things, like he didn't like any green vegetable and loved French fries. Lyla just said he was the typical kid, always wanting junk food instead of a healthier option. Carter also told him about all the friends he's made at day care and that he already has a girlfriend named Kylie.

Not once did Carter let go of Tim during the day, and he asked to hear lots of stories about football. Tim obliged, gladly reminiscing about Panther football, Texas State and even the Bronco's. When Tim asked what position he wanted to play, Carter gladly said fullback, but Tim told him that all the ladies love quarterbacks. He said that the qb is the brains of the team and that all the girls love that. Carter then changed his mind, saying when he grew up he wanted to have five girlfriends at once. Lyla just rolled her eyes at all the football talk, she just stood back to let the boys have their own fun and get to know each other.

The car ride back was quiet; Carter had passed out in his car seat which left Lyla and Tim to their own devices. Both of them were enjoying a moment of silence that they eventually relaxed into, enjoying the brief moment of quiet. When Lyla pulled up outside of Tim's house he undid his seat belt and turned to look at her.

"Last night didn't mean anything." Lyla spoke up before he got a chance to say anything.

"Okay." Was all Tim could think of saying, he stared at her a second longer before responding "Thanks for the day out, Garrity." Tim turned around in his seat reaching out to nudge Carter. His eyes sprung open and Tim immediately smiled back at him. "Time for me to go, see you soon, buddy."

"Bye, Tim!" Carter said.

With that Tim got out of the car and closed the door, he watched Lyla back out onto the road and waved goodbye as she drove off out of sight. He then turned to make his way back into the house, knowing Mindy would be up the wall. Tim managed to sneak in this morning to change into clean clothes when everyone was at church so he went unnoticed.

"Timothy Riggins, where have you been?" Mindy shouted the second he walked into the house. "You have been missing for a whole day, and you never came home last night!"

"I was with Lyla." Tim managed to spit out. He walked over and sat on the couch beside his brother, who was watching Finding Nemo with the kids. Mindy got up from the kitchen table which had books and papers piled high. She walked over and hit Tim upside the back of the head. "Ow, what was that for?"

"I don't like Lyla Garrity, stay away from her." Mindy spat as she went to sit back down at the table.

Tim turned around on the couch, "What she ever do to you?"

"Nothing, I just don't like the way she's raising that kid of hers."

Tim was beyond confused but didn't want to ask any more questions. Lyla and Carter were clearly a sensitive subject to Mindy so he let the conversation go. He returned his focus to the television but was barely paying attention. Instead he was reflecting on the day he just spent with Lyla and Carter. Tim realized that he was starting to love Carter but he couldn't understand the connection that he felt to the boy. He chalked it up to him being Lylas' son and he had and always will love Lyla Garrity.

* * *

Lyla gained insight on Tim, things she forgot after years apart. Tim was gentle and understanding, especially with Carter. He just had a way of interacting with the boy and it was something she had never seen from Tim or Jordan before. She was fascinated by Tim; he was able to get along with her son after knowing him for a week. Tim and Carter had become closer in a week than Jordan and Carter had become in four years. Lyla was in awe, she had never seen this side of Tim, and to be honest with herself, she loved this side of him.

As Lyla pulled up to her house she saw Jordan's car parked in the driveway. She had the strangest feeling that things were going to get ugly when she walked through the front door. Lyla had just spent the day at the zoo with Tim and Carter, although it often felt like she was a third wheel. She didn't expect the two to get along so well, but she was so happy that she didn't care what happened next.

Lyla grabbed her sleepy son from the back of the car and held him on her hip as she grabbed things from the back. She walked into the front door and placed Carter down on the ground and he immediately took off, "Daddy, guess what!"

Lyla followed her son as he navigated his way around their house to find his father, he was found watching television in the living room. "What, little man?" Jordan asked as Carter ran and jumped up beside him on the couch.

Lyla sat down on the recliner that was positioned beside the couch. "I got to spend the whole day with Tim! He had breakfast with us then he took us to the zoo and we rode the elephants. It was better than my birthday!" Carter exclaimed.

"Wow, sounds like a fun day." Jordan replied, he shot Lyla a look but she fixed her focus on the television. "I'm going to start getting dinner ready."

Once Jordan left Carter jumped off the couch and cuddled up to Lyla. "You had a good day, baby boy?" She asked.

"Yeah, momma. I love Tim, he's the best!" Carter replied as he snuggled down against Lyla. These were the moments she lived for, when it was just her and her son. She knew she had to tell Jordan the truth and what had happened the past few days and she knew Jordan wasn't going to react well. Lyla held Carter tightly and closed her eyes, exhausted from the day she just had.

"Dinner's ready!" Jordan called, waking Lyla out of her sleep. Carter had left her lap so she was free to get up and walked into the kitchen.

A few hours later Lyla had retreated to the living room with a glass of red wine after she had put Carter down for the night. Jordan followed her in sitting on the couch beside her and turned to her. "Tim Riggins was here for breakfast?"

"Yeah, he stopped by, he thought he forgot something." Lyla quickly replied. She turned on the couch to look at him and saw that he didn't look happy.

"And you just invited him to the zoo with you?"

"Carter did."

"Why do I get this feeling that you were more than friends in high school?" Jordan asked.

"We were high school sweethearts. When Tim left for college we broke up and I hadn't talked to him or seen him since, until he came back to town. " Lyla admitted. By now she was fiddling with her hands, not daring to look up at Jordan. When she finally did look up she saw a hurt look on his face but also that he was thinking hard about something.

"Does he know?" Jordan asked.

Confused Lyla replied. "Does who know what?"

"Does Tim Riggins know that Carter is his son?" Jordan said raising his voice.

"No." Lyla whispered.

"Well don't you think he deserves to know who his son is?" By now Jordan was yelling, he stood up and started pacing.

"Carter has a father, you're his father." Lyla reached out to try and stop Jordan but he jerked his hand away.

"That wasn't my question!"

"It's complicated."

"Do you still love him?" When Lyla didn't say anything he snapped. "Goddammit, Lyla, what are you doing?"

"I don't know, I'm confused and I don't know what I'm supposed to do" She whimpered.

"Well I'll make it easier; I'm going back to Austin."

"You can't leave." Lyla now got off the couch and grabbed Jordan's arm to stop him. "Don't leave."

"Did you sleep with him?" Jordan asked as he turned to look at her.

"What?" She took a step back, she wasn't expecting him to come right out and say it.

"Well wasn't he here for breakfast. I doubt he was just wandering around at 7a.m." Jordan paused rubbing his neck, trying to figure out what he wants to do next. "I need spend time with my family; maybe while I'm gone you can figure things out." Jordan left Lyla standing there stunned as he went to pack his suitcase.

When he came down the stairs Lyla started to cry. "Jordan, please don't go." She reached out to stop him but he didn't want anything to do with her. He ignored her and walked right out the door. Lyla followed him outside, "Jordan!" she yelled. He didn't turn around, instead he got into his car and drove away.

Lyla retreated back into the house crying and found her son was at the bottom of the stairs rubbing his eyes. She realized that their fight must have woken him up. "What's wrong?" Carter asked.

"Nothing, baby." She said as she leaned down and picked him up. Lyla held him close to her, clinging onto the one thing she had left in her life. She took him up to her room and laid him down in her bed. Once changed into her pajamas she jumped into bed beside her son and drifted off to sleep with Carter in her arms.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next one will be up soon :)**


	8. Chapter 8

A week had passed since Jordan had gone back to Austin to stay with his parents, she hadn't talked to him since. Carter had asked a few times about him but Lyla just brushed it off saying he was on vacation. Lyla had awoken early Saturday morning by her cell phone, hoping it was Jordan she picked up. She was soon disappointed; it was a friend who she volunteered with at the hospital asking her to take her shift for that day.

Lyla rolled out of bed to get ready for the day ahead; she went through her morning routine in a haze. The past week had been a blur and she was barely getting by without Jordan. She had never really been a single mother before and now that she was finally experiencing it she was drowning. Lyla never noticed how much she truly relied on Jordan and every day she found herself missing his help.

As Lyla got on her uniform for volunteering she realized that she needed a baby sitter. Jordan was hours away and their regular baby sitter was out of town, he father was usually busy Saturday mornings doing god knows what. That left one last person and she picked up the phone to make the call.

Lyla was sitting on the stairs staring at the front door; Carter was in the other room watching cartoons. She tapped her foot impatiently, her shift was starting in twenty minutes and she needed to leave as soon as possible. When she heard the doorbell ring she jumped up, grabbed her purse and opened the door.

She was not expecting to see the person who was standing in her doorway, it was Mindy Riggins. "Mindy?"

'Hello, Garrity." The blonde women responded. She was taller than Lyla and had shorts and a tank top on with shades perched on top of her head.

"Can I help you with something?" Lyla asked as she stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

"I want you to stop fooling around with Tim"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Stop acting dumb, you know what I'm talking about. Leave Tim alone." Miny said as she stepped closer to Lyla.

"First you want me to tell him and now you want me to leave him alone? Why?"

"Because I said so! You don't need to go breaking that boy's heart; it's obvious you're not going to tell him so just don't!" Mindy yelled.

"You're wrong; I'm going to tell him. Tim has every right to know that Carter is his son!" Lyla shouted back.

"What?" The two women heard from behind them. They turned to see Tim walking up the pathway to Lyla's house.

"Tim, it's not what it sounds like." Mindy said stepping forward to Tim.

"Not now, Mindy. Just go." Tim said as he walked past her to Lyla.

Lyla stood by the door as Tim walked right by Mindy, the woman was in shock. She starred after him for a minute and then followed his wishes and got in her car and drove away.

"Tim" Lyla said as she walked up to him, grabbing his arm. He looked pale and like he was about to collapse.

"Is it true, Lyla?" He asked looking down at her. She couldn't say anything but replied with a nod. "I need to hear you say it."

"Yes, Tim, Carter is your son." Lyla looked up at him and she wasn't sure what she saw. Tim looked excited but scared at the same time and she felt sorry for spring this on him. "Look, Tim, I really got to get to the hospital. When I come back we can talk."

"Okay." He spat out. He was still in shock so Lyla lead him into the house and took him to where Carter was located. "Hey, Buddy, Tim's gunna look after you while I'm gone."

"Yay!" Carter yelled as he jumped off the couch and ran over to Tim and hugged his legs.

"See you boys later." Lyla said as she left the two standing in the living room. Tim was still processing the information that Lyla had just laid on him. She made a quick getaway before Tim could run after her with questions, she knew when she got home she would have a lot of explaining to do.

Lyla had left Tim standing in the middle of the living room; he didn't know what to do next. Hell, he didn't even know what to think. He looked over to the couch to see Carter sitting there, rather relaxed and not paying any attention to Tim. Tired of standing, he took a seat beside the boy. Tim looked Carter up and down and he felt stupid for not noticing the similarities before. They shared several similarities; both had green eyes, brown hair and the same nose. His smile though, was from his mother.

The similarities were there and the math added up. He felt silly for not noticing sooner, but the thought of children ever crossed his mind. He had only thought of football for the past five years, he barely dated, never finding a woman that held up to his standards. Lyla was a tough act to follow; when he was with her in high school the possibility of children crossed his mind. That was before he knew he was leaving Dillon, back when he thought him and Lyla would get married and then years later have kids.

This was happening too fast, what was going to happen next? Tim knew he wanted to be in Carters life but would Lyla allow it? What would happen to Jordan? Does Jordan know? Will they still get married? All these questions were running though Tim's mind and he didn't know the answers to any of them.

Tim looked over to the fireplace and saw a bunch of pictures of Carter so he got up off the couch to take a look. In the middle was a recent picture of Carter, Lyla and Jordan. They looked like one happy family and he immediately felt like he was intruding. Surrounding were pictures of Carter from when he was a baby, toddler and pictures from the past year. Tim realized he had missed so much of Carter's life. He wished he was there for the pregnancy and the day he was born. He missed when he started crawling, walking, talking and other every day activities. Tim was growing angrier by the minute.

"Tim?" He heard from behind him. Tim turned around to see Carter looking up at him, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing. So what do you want to do today, little man?" Tim asked as he bent down so he was eye to eye with Carter.

"Can we go play some football?"

"Sure."

By the time Lyla had come home it was already dark out and Tim had spent the whole day with Carter. They played football in the backyard for a few hours, and then Tim managed to make lunch for them. Carter then insisted on playing board games and that took them through until dinner time. After dinner, which was a kid friendly meal of wieners and beans, they got comfortable on the couch to watch Monsters Inc. Carter fell asleep halfway through the movie and Tim had ended up carrying him up to bed and tucked him in.

Instead of putting on a more adult friendly show, he ended up finishing the movie. He wasn't paying much attention to the television, but rather reflecting on the day he had with Carter. It had been the best day he has had in a long while; he felt his son had brought back a light that he had been missing since he returned to Dillon.

Tim must have fallen asleep because he didn't hear Lyla come in until she was nudging him and calling his name. He slowly opened his eyes and saw her standing over him with an upset look on her face. "Where's Carter?" She asked.

"Upstairs, sleeping." Tim said as he straightened up on the couch.

"How was your day?" Lyla sat down on the couch and turned so she was facing Tim.

"Exhausting, but I kept him entertained and we had a lot of fun." Tim replied.

"Thanks for everything, Tim. I've been struggling this past week with Jordan gone." She paused and was looking down playing with her ring. "I'm sorry, for everything."

"I don't understand, why did you keep him a secret from me?"

"I knew if I told you I was pregnant, you would never go to Texas State."

"I don't see any harm in that. I would have gladly given up football to have seen my son be born and grow up. I could have helped Billy with Riggins Rigs, I would have been just as happy here as anywhere else." Tim replied. He was hurt that she had never told her about his son and he couldn't understand why she did it.

"No, Tim. I needed you to have a future, to succeed. I didn't want to be the one to hold you back." A tear had fallen and was sliding down her cheek. He resisted the urge to wipe it away; he was mad at Lyla and knew if he touched her he would crumble.

"What about what I would have wanted?"

"I did this for you, Tim!"

"No, Lyla, you did this for you." Tim was frustrated now and jumped up off the couch and went straight to the front door. He heard Lyla follow him and he spun around. "You're not keeping me from my son, I missed out on four years and I won't be missing out on another day."

"I promise, Tim, I won't keep you from your son. But please, just let me explain."

"I think you've done enough explaining for tonight. Goodbye, Lyla." With that Tim walked out of Lyla's house, slamming the door behind him. He was too angry and had to get out of there immediately.

Tim got into his truck and instead of going back home; he went straight to the bar. He was going to get drunk tonight and not feel sorry about it. Lyla couldn't spring this life changing information on him and expect him not to react. The more he thought about it the angrier he got and he couldn't control it. In the pit of his stomach he felt he was in for some trouble tonight.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. My brain is completely fried from studying. It may take a few days to get the next chapter out, next two weeks are full of midterms. **


	9. Chapter 9

Lyla felt terrible the next morning, she knew what she did was the best thing for Tim but may not have been the best thing for her son. Carter technically had a father, Jordan, but she knew her son was always missing something in his childhood. She pushed the thoughts of Tim out of her mind as she focused on her son and taking him to day care.

On the way back home she passed the park and remembered the day she had spent with Tim and Carter. That was the first official time that Tim and Carter had spent together and they had really hit it off. Lyla glanced over and saw a person slumped on a bench closest to the road. She thought the man looked familiar and once she noticed the long hair covering the man's face she realized it was Tim.

She pulled her car over and got out to check to see if he was still alive. "Tim?!" As she approached the bench Tim raised his head to see who was talking to him and he slid right off, hitting the ground hard. "Are you okay?" Lyla yelled as she ran over to him.

Tim grunted in reply as he tried to sit up. Lyla reached out and helped him into a sitting position on the bench. "Go away." Tim said when he was finally upright. Lyla got a good look at him and he had dark circles under his eyes, a bruise starting along his jaw and his hair was plastered to his forehead.

"What happened?" Lyla asked.

"I went to six flags and had so much fun I fell asleep on the park bench on my way home! What do you think, Garrity, I got drunk, got into a fight, then clearly passed out on this bench here." Tim rolled his eyes.

"Why?"

"Because it's what I do, Lyla."

"No, Tim, It's what you used to do."

"Well, I guess old habits die hard." Tim replied as he stood up. He stumbled backwards and fell back onto the bench.

"Here, let me drive you home, I have some water in the car." Lyla said as she helped Tim get off the bench and led him to her car.

When the two were settled, Lyla handed him a bottle of water and he took it generously. She started the car and turned back onto the road heading back to the Riggins house. "I have to tell you the whole story of what happened five years ago. Just promise you wont interrupt or get mad at me."

"Fine." Tim grunted between the gulps of water he was taking.

"I found out the day before you left for training camp and I was going to tell you, I promise. I was going to ask you to stay or come with you; I wanted us to be together, to raise the baby." She paused and looked over at Tim but he was expressionless so she continued. "Then I realized how selfish I was being, taking your dreams away from you. I knew if I asked you to stay that you would have, you would have loved our baby the second he was born. I also knew you would have resented me, for asking you to stay, for taking away your dreams. So I kept the baby a secret and told everyone in town that it was Jordan's' baby."

"I see." Was all Tim could muster up. "Anything else?"

"Yes. I was able to live with myself and this lie I had created because I wanted the best for you and I saw that you were out in the world living your dream. I watched every game on television and I even drove to Austin to watch a few of them. You were incredible, Tim, and I knew that I had done the right thing. But, when you came home and you spent time with Carter and you two got along so well, I knew that I had been selfish. I had kept you away from your son and you had missed the past four years of his life. You missed every milestone and it was all because of me and you will never get them back. I'm sorry, Tim. I just wanted the best for you."

"Okay." Tim said.

"Okay?" Lyla looked at him shocked, she expected him to get mad and yell but he sat their expressionless.

"Okay." Was all he could muster.

"Tim, can you please say something other than okay?"

"What do you want me to say, Lyla? That I forgive you? Because I don't, at least not right now. I just want to get to know my son." Tim finally said.

"We can work something out, together. You can get to know Carter, I promise. But you can't go out drinking all the time, you're a father now. You're a role model, you have to get your life together, get a job and a house."

"Fine, as long as I get to see my son." Tim replied.

Lyla pulled up to the Riggins house and stopped on the curb. "I hope you can forgive me, Tim."

He never replied, he got out of the car silently and walked straight into the house. Lyla knew it was going to take a lot of apologies for Tim to forgive her. He was big on trust and she knew she had lost it, but she was determined to get it back. She was also determined for him to get to know their son, he deserved it.

* * *

Tim had spent most of the following week in a haze, or rather a drunken stupor, as he tried to process Lylas story. He realized that given the time she was doing the right thing, he got to go to college and live his dream. He was angry that he had missed the past four years and that was all because of her, but he has the rest of his life with Carter. No matter how mad he was at Lyla and what she had done, deep down he was still in love with her. Tim had never loved anyone like he loved her, but he knew he had lost his chance with her.

Midweek, he had received a call from Lyla asking him to come over for dinner the next night. She explained that Carter had been asking non-stop for him and she compromised with a dinner. Tim gladly agreed, letting everything that happened between them in the last few days go.

Tim had dressed his best, or what he thought was his best. Cowboy boots, jeans, and a plaid button downed shirt. Now that he was back in Texas he was able to pull this look off. He remembered in Denver having his team mates make fun of him for his "cowboy" look but he just said this was the "Tim Riggins" look. He smirked at the memory, thinking how long ago that felt, when in reality it was less than a year ago. Tim was glad to be back home, in Texas.

He was now standing at Lyla's front door with a bouquet of assorted flowers. Tim was proud of what he had chosen and knew Lyla would love them. He stood up tall and rang the doorbell. Within the second the door flew open to Carter starting up at him. Without hesitation he grabbed a hold of Tim's hand and dragged him inside, leading him right into the living room where a puzzle was scattered on the floor. "I need your help!" Carter exclaimed as he dropped to the floor.

"Hold on, buddy, I got to go give these to your mom." Tim said. He found his way into the kitchen where Lyla was slaving over the counter, hard at work on dinner. She had her hair tied back in a low pony tail with a low cut jeans and an apron covering a plain t-shirt. "That's a good look for you."

Lyla turned around and saw him standing there, "Hey, Tim." She replied. "Hope you like taco's."

"I love taco's! I brought you these." He held out the flowers and Lyla took them.

"They're beautiful, thank you." She grabbed a vase from the cupboard and filled it up with water. She plopped the flowers inside and set it on the dinner table. Tim heard his name being called in the other room. "I think you're wanted." Lyla smirked and returned back to preparing dinner.

Tim returned to Carter who was still working on the puzzle, he bent down and began helping him put it together. He was beginning to notice little things about his son, things they shared and had in common. The way they knit their eyebrows together when concentrating and both being men of few words. He enjoyed spending time with Carter and not having to fill the silence, and that they just fit together perfectly.

"Dinner's ready!" Lyla yelled from the other room. Tim grabbed Carter around the waste and threw him over his shoulder and started tickling him. The boy was screaming and laughing hard as Tim ran into the kitchen, laughing along with him. "What are you boys up to?" Lyla laughed as the boys came into the kitchen.

"Nothing, Momma!" Carter said through a fit of giggles when he was finally released and set firmly on solid ground.

"Alright, as long as you're staying out of trouble." Lyla replied as she pulled out a chair for Carter to climb up into. He climbed up into the chair effortlessly and watched as Tim sat in the chair beside him.

"Smells good, Garrity." Tim remarked.

"Why'd you call her that?" Carter questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Because it's her name, that's why." Tim reached over and tickled the boy's tummy and he let out another fit of giggles. Tim glanced at the spread in front of him; there were dishes filled with different ingredients to make tacos. As Lyla sat down, she smiled and he smirked back in reply before digging in.

Dinner went by fast, Lyla and Tim spent the time talking about everything under the sun. She asked him questions about college and the NFL and he returned the favour by asking her questions about her family and Dillon. He learned that Buddy Garrity was still in town and still a booster with the Panthers, after a short stint with East Dillon. Lyla briefly mentioned how Coach was sent to the East side and after the second year there he won state. It didn't surprise Tim; Coach was able to work magic with run down teams and players. Occasionally Carter would speak up and the conversation would drift towards learning more about him.

After dinner and desert, Lyla shooed the boys out into the living room so she could clean up the mess. Tim had followed her orders but felt guilty so after giving something for Carter to work on, he returned back into the kitchen. He walked up behind Lyla and grabbed the sponge from out of her hands.

"Hey!" Lyla cried. She didn't protest but instead watched him work as he washed the dishes in the sink. She reached her hand into the sink grabbing a handful of suds and rubbing it on his face. "Now, that's a good look on you." She laughed as she took in the sight of Tim riggings with bubbles on his face.

He wiped his face off with his forearm, "You think you're so funny, don't you, Garrity?"

"I do." She giggled.

Tim then reached in and grabbed a handful of bubbles; he wrapped his arm round her neck pulling her close and rubbed the suds onto her head. He rubbed the suds well into her hair and grabbed more and plopped it on top of her head and watched as they fell into her face. Lyla stood there stunned her brown eyes wide and her mouth in an O.

"You are going to pay for that!" Lyla grabbed more suds from the sink but Tim managed to catch her hands in the air before they could come in contact with his face.

"I don't think so, Garrity." He pulled her hands down to her side and stepped forward. They both stopped laughing as they stared into each other's eyes, his green ones peering into her brown ones. He released one of her hands so he could wipe the bubbles off her face. He then slowly moved his hands to the back of her neck and pulled her close to him.

They're lips met; it was a slow, tantalizing kiss at first. But soon both succumbed to desire and passion and they got lost in the moment. Lyla had reached up and grabbed onto his hip with her free hand, pulling him closer. Tim still had one of Lyla's hands in his and the other was wrapping itself in her hair. Passion gave way and they couldn't stop each other, the kiss deepened and soon they were exploring each other's mouth. It felt like they were back in high school, sneaking off under the bleachers during class to make out.

Neither heard the little footsteps draw near, or felt another presence in the room until they heard, Carter speak up. "What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing, baby." Lyla said after she jumped back from Tim, tearing herself away from him. He was a little disappointed that they were interrupted and guessed they would have a bit of explaining to do. "We were just doing the dishes, want to help us finish?"

"Okay!" Carter exclaimed as he ran over to where the two adults were standing. Lyla reached down and grabbed a stool from under the cupboard. Their son jumped up and he came to just above the counter top, she handed him a rag and asked him to dry the dishes that Tim handed to him.

The three worked in comfortable silence and preformed their tasks effortlessly. Tim washed the dishes, and then handed them to Carter to dry; when he was done Lyla would put them back in their place. Tim realized that he like this feeling; he never experienced being a part of a family before. He wanted more nights like these; he actually wanted mornings and afternoons feeling like this. He was in love Lyla and wanted to spend every day with her and their son. Tim never believed he deserved a family; never felt it was in the cards for him. Overnight he was just handed a son and he couldn't complain because family life excited him. He knew Carter had changed him and he knew that it was for the better.


	10. Chapter 10

"I'm surprised you came for dinner tonight, I thought you were still mad at me." Lyla confessed as she retreated into the living room where Tim was waiting for her. He was sitting on the couch, nursing a beer.

"It's really hard to stay mad at you." He smirked as he watched her sit beside him on the couch. She turned to him, pulling one of her legs up under her and resting her glass of red wine on her knee.

"Can't stay mad at the one's you love." She noted. Lyla looked up at him through her lashes and she saw him move closer to her. Tim had a sly grin playing on his face like he was up to no good.

She watched as he lowered his head down to hers, resting his forehead on hers. She breathed him in and calmness filled within her. Lyla was at ease, she had no thoughts on her mind was at ease, she had no thoughts on her mind, just him.

"What are you trying to say, Garrity?" Tim asked as he raised an eyebrow. They were now inches from each other and they leaned in towards each other.

"I think you know." She said suggestively.

"I'm blank, give me some hints." Tim drew a smirk. She was ready to play this game with him; she knew exactly what he was up to.

She slid closer to him and leaned in so her mouth was beside his ear and whispered. "I want you." She reached up and weaved her fingers into his hair. She started kissing his neck from under his ear and dragged kissed down to his collar bone and back up. "I want this, with you." She kissed her way along his jaw and hovered above his lips. He leaned forward but she was swift enough to move before their lips met. She moved to the other side, kissing and nibbling his jaw. Her hands slipped under his shirt and were feeling their way up his muscular chest.

Tim had finally had enough of the teasing and grabbed her head and brought his lips to finally meet her. Lyla was surprised of his actions and was momentarily paralyzed. She felt him smile against her lips, knowing he had figured he had a hold on her. Settling into the kiss, she felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. She hadn't felt this way about a man in years, five years to be exact. She pushed him away to look him in the eye. "I love you, Tim Riggins."

Tim smiled and his eyes glowed. "I love you too, Lyla Garrity." He pulled her back into him as they continued their kiss but after a second she pulled herself away.

"But, you have to go." She said.

Tim looked confused and hurt. "I don't understand."

"I'm with Jordan; I don't want to start anything with you while I'm with him. Then I have to tell Carter everything. I Love you, Tim, and I want to do this right." She explained as she stood up.

Lyla began to walk to the door and realized Tim was still processing everything. He looked up at her and finally got up off the couch and walked over to her. She opened the door and stood in the doorway. "We'll figure this out and we'll be together." Tim said and then he kissed her.

"What's going on?" She heard a voice coming from outside. She tore away from the kiss to find Jordan standing on the walkway holding a bouquet of flowers.

"What does it look like?" Tim replied stepping forward out of the doorway.

"Looks like you're kissing my girl." Jordan said as he closed the gap between himself and Tim.

"Guy's." Lyla interjected as she walked over to where the two men stood.

"She's not you're girl anymore." Tim said.

"Yeah, 'cause you stole her right out from under me."

"I didn't steal her, and she was never yours to begin with."

"What do you think you're doing? You can't just walk in here after being gone for five years and steal my family right out from under me!" Jordan shouted.

"Looks like I just did." Tim smirked; pleased to know he was getting under Jordan's skin.

With that comment, Jordan dropped the flowers he was holding and pulled his right fist back and shot it forward, connecting to Tim's jaw.

"Tim!" Lyla screamed as she stepped towards Tim but she was too late, he had already lunged forward at Jordan. Tim tackled him to the ground and was on top of Jordan; He leaned back and punched him at the side of his face. Reaching back his then connected with his jaw and jabbed at him a few more times. "Tim, stop!" Lyla grabbed his arm and tried to pull him to his feet.

Tim realized what he was doing and felt Lyla pulling at him and he stood up brushing off his jeans of any dirt. Lyla ran over to Jordan to help him up off the ground and studied his eye and lip. She turned around to look at Tim and said, "I think you should go." Tim didn't bother to apologize or stick around; instead he stormed off without saying another word.

"Here, let's get you inside." Lyla said as she held his hands to his face to try and stop the bleeding. She led him into the kitchen and placed him in a chair as she went to get cloths, cleaning supplies and band aids. Once all the supplied were collected she set them on the table and pulled another chair up so she was face to face with him.

Lyla worked quietly on cleaning up the blood from Jordan's face, he occasionally made a sour face but didn't bother to break the silence. "It's not as bad as I thought." Lyla spoke up as she released his face and looked at her handy work. He had a small cut above his eye and another on his cheek bone and a split lip. She had placed band aids over the two cuts to help stop the bleeding.

"Next time, remind me not to get into a fight with an NFL full back." He smiled at her.

"I'll try." She laughed. She finished up by rubbing the remaining blood off his face. "There, all done."

"Can we talk?" He asked, suddenly turning serious.

"Sure." She nodded.

"So you and Tim Riggins? What's going on with that?" He asked.

"I love him. I know that we have barely spent any time together, but when I'm with him he just makes me so happy. Tim is amazing with Carter, they get along so well. It just feels like we're picking up from where we left off five years ago when he left. I have grown up and so has he, but we just click." Lyla confessed. She never realized she was holding her feelings in but it felt good to let it all out.

"What about us? We're engaged, we have a son." Jordan asked. He leaned closer to her and grabbed her hands and held them in his. "I thought we were happy."

"We were happy, but being together, it never felt right. It felt like I was forcing you into what I wanted you to be, into a husband and a father. I love you, Jordan. I'm just not in love with you and I don't think I have been for quite some time now." Lyla sat up straighter, she was trying hard to make things easier on him.

"So just like that we're done?" He questioned.

"Yes."

"What about my son?" Jordan let go of her hands rather quickly and stood up.

She followed suit, grabbing his wrist so he would look at her. "He was never really your son, and I'm so thankful that you treated him like your own. You've been there since the beginning, but we both know it felt more like an obligation more than anything. It feels like you had to get along with him to please me, to be with me. It was a package deal and you were ready to settle, I don't want you to settle, Jordan."

He stood there stunned. "So you're kicking me out of my own house, out of your life, and out of Carters life?"

'I'll find a new place to stay, just please, and give me some time. You can still be in our lives, just not like before."

Jordan was quiet for a few seconds, mulling over what he was going to do next. "I can't believe this."

"I'm sorry, Jordan."

"You can stay here, keep the house, and keep everything. I'm going to move back to Austin and you can keep your life here without having me interrupt things." He finally said. Jordan turned around and headed for the door.

"Jordan, wait!" Lyla called out for him. She caught him at the front door and pulled him to face her. "Here." She pulled the ring off from her left finger and handed it to him, it wouldn't feel right to keep it.

"Thanks." He said as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Goodbye, Lyla." Jordan turned around and headed out the front door and out of her life.

Lyla was upset that she was losing her best friend of the past five years. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and she couldn't stop them as it finally sunk in that he was gone for good. She retreated upstairs to her bed and jumped in, not caring she was still dressed in her clothes. Curling up underneath, she let all the tears fall as she mourned the loss of her best friend and partner of the last five years.

* * *

**A/N: Hey y'all. I am severely lacking motivation for this story and could barely start this chapter. I feel like I my have thrown them together too soon, this is not what I had planned for this chapter but I wanted to get the story going so I can finally finish with it. There's probably only going to be a few chapters left, but don't worry it will be worth while. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, please review and if you have any suggestions, let me know. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

The next day Tim woke up and laid in bed smiling. He had gotten his girl back, not with much effort, but none the less they would be together again. The events to the prior night were running through his head as he remembered dinner and kissing Lyla to being punched. He felt bad for the guy, he had practically stolen his life away but Tim shrugged it off.

Rolling out of his makeshift bed Tim realized he needed to get himself out of his brother's house. He needed to find himself a job first; maybe he'll find something with the panthers. Then he'll look for a house for him, Lyla and Carter, his new family. He smiled to himself as he got dressed and headed out into the kitchen to prepare him breakfast and coffee.

He realized as he poured cereal that the house was eerily quiet, looking around he found a clock. Half past noon the clock read, the sun was now pouring in through the blinds spilling into the kitchen. Tim ran over his plans for the day while finishing up breakfast. After cleaning up after himself he grabbed his keys from his room and headed out the door.

Walking out onto the field gave him a sense of home, a sense of his old life. Tim walked to the middle of the football field where the Panther's signature 'P' sat. He reminisced of the blood and sweat that he left on this field. He looked over to the side line, picturing Lyla standing there in her uniform cheering on the team. He remembered the nights he snuck out onto the field with Smash, Street, and Saracen and couldn't help but smile to himself.

"What are you doing out here?" Tim heard from behind him. He turned around to see Billy walking towards him; he looked funny in his blue polo and Panther's hat. Billy couldn't pull off the head coach look quite like Coach Taylor could.

"Just reminiscing." Tim said as he caught a ball that Billy had thrown his way.

"Thinking back to the good days?" His brother asked as he grew near.

Tim smiled in response and sucked in his breath and exhaled quietly. Here goes nothing he thought. "Do you by any chance need help with the team, Billy?" Tim looked down at his feet, fearing his own brother would deny his help.

"You want to coach?" Billy questioned as he came within feet of Tim.

"Yeah, I do." Tim replied glancing up at his brother.

Tim tossed the ball to his brother and watched him toss it around in his hands as he contemplated his final answer. "You gunna help get us to state?" Billy asked smirking at him.

"Yes." Tim said instantly smiling at his brother.

"Go long, if you catch this then you can have the job and get us to state." Billy responded.

He pulled the ball back to his ear and Tim took off down the field turning his head to look for the pass. Billy pulled back and threw the ball forward letting it roll of the tips of his fingers. Tim turned his body as he saw the ball come within reach; he caught the ball and pulled it into his chest and cradled it. Tim threw his arms up, the ball in one hand and shouted as he jumped up into the air. He jogged back to his brother who was happily waiting for him at the 50 yard line.

"Take us to state, little brother" Billy said as he clapped him on the back.

Tim was ecstatic about his new job position; he loved football and was glad he didn't have to give it up entirely after his injury. Jumping into his truck he pulled out of the parking lot, he and Billy had talked endlessly about them working together for the Panthers. He knew he had to tell Lyla immediately about the new development he had made, she would be proud of him for making progress.

He took the back roads, deciding to take time to think before giving Lyla the good news. Tim wanted to decide what the next step was for him and Lyla. They should move in together, but not in her house because that's where she lived with Jordan. First, they should probably talk to Carter about the new developments. Everything was coming into focus for Tim, something he felt he lacked for the past five years. Before it felt like he was being shoved here and there, being told what to do and what to say. Now it was was like he was breaking free of it all, from the football player lifestyle and he knew he was on the road to something good.

Tim was lost in thought and didn't realize the smoke emerging from the hood of his truck. He snapped out of his trance when he heard the truck starting to make noises and pulled the car over immediately to the side of the road. Jumping out he lifted up the hood to take a look and he was flooded with smoke. Swatting it all away so he could get a better look, when he couldn't he stepped away to let the engine cool out itself.

Grabbing his phone from the pocket of his jeans Tim gave a quick call to Billy asking him to come out and help him out. As he waited Tim sat by his truck, growing bored he got up and examined his surroundings. The side he was parked on was a field, the grass was cut short and trees were scattered. Small hills erupted in random areas of the field; in the far left corner he found glimpses of what looked to be a house and barn. He noticed to the right of him a for sale sign. Tim shot his eye brows up in surprise and opened the gate to the field so he could examine it better.

When Billy finally showed up, Tim walked up from his adventure around the empty plot of land. He walked the whole property, going unseen from anyone in the house or from the road. Hoping to scope out the entirety of the place in private, he knew from the moment he first laid eyes on it that he loved it. Tim didn't even need a look in the house or barn; he wanted this place in the condition it was.

Coming back to his truck Billy was there waiting for him already working on his truck. "Tim, you could have fixed this in your sleep." Billy said as Tim reached the truck.

"I know, I just wanted to put you to work." Tim countered. He watched as his brother fixed his truck, talking along the way. When Billy was finished Tim finally spoke up about the land. "Hey, Billy, Come take a look at this."

Tim led Billy into the field and extended his arms, pointing to the amazing piece of scenery in front of them. "Wow." Was all that escaped from Billy's lips.

"I know." Tim nodded. Taking in the surroundings for a second time, letting it all sink in. "It's endless."

The brothers stood there for a few minutes, soaking in the way the sun was starting to fall behind the trees. The slight breeze swaying branches, it was truly beautiful. Tim knew, this was the place where he was going to live, where Carter was going to grow up, this was home. He took down the number on the for sale sign before retreating back to his truck. He waved to Billy as he took off back home.

Tim remained sitting in his truck, staring back out onto the land. He never wanted to leave this place; this place was going to be his new home, all fifty acres. Tim was finally able to pull himself away from the side of the road and headed off to Lyla's house. He was ecstatic to tell her the good news. He had a job, a home and a family. Tim smiled to himself at the progress that he had made in just a day. For once, he was headed in the right direction and he wasn't scared but rather happy and content.

* * *

**A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Hoping to post the next one as soon as possible. Feel free to review and leave any suggestions. :) **


	12. Chapter 12

Lyla waited in the car to pick up her son from day care, Jordan usually did this job but with him gone she's had to do things herself. She never realized how hard being a single mother was, it was like she was being pulled in every direction trying to juggle school, her son, and work. The past four years had been a breeze with Jordan taking care of Carter while she focused on studying and school. Jordan was her rock, a solid pace to land when they were together and now he was gone.

She started second guessing her decision to end things with Jordan. She loved him but her love for him didn't compare to what she felt for Tim. She wondered how Tim was going to pick up the responsibility of being a father, it would probably come natural. Carter adored Tim and they had seen each other a few times, a bond between father and son was hard to beat. Tonight was going to be the night she would tell her son the truth, that Tim was his father. How do you tell a four year old that the man who raised them wasn't their father and this man who just waltzed into his life a week ago was? Carter was going to hate her for keeping this secret; he would hate her for sending Jordan away and hate her for keeping Tim away from him. She was in a no-win situation, one which she walked right into the day that her son was born.

Lyla's daydream was interrupted by the car door opening then closing. Turning around, Carter had hopped into his car seat in the back. "Hi, Momma!" Her son exclaimed. Looking at the time on the dash, it read four o'clock and turned back giving him a helping hand with putting his seat belt on.

"Ready to go, buddy?" She smiled back at him. Lyla took in her son, he looked just like Tim and she wondered how she never noticed it until now. He had the same eyes, nose and hair colour; there wasn't a hint of Lyla anywhere on that boy. She bet that Carter was exactly how Tim must have looked when he was younger.

"Yes! Can we have Macaroni for dinner tonight?" Carter asked breaking her out of another trance.

"Of course, anything for you, honey." Lyla replied. She turned around putting the car into drive and pulling out of the parking lot and heading towards home.

The rest of the night flew by; she had successfully made dinner while entertaining Carter. She had told him that Jordan was visiting his family because he missed them very much. That gave Carter enough reason to stop asking her about Jordan. Eventually he began to start asking her when he would be able to see Tim again. Not knowing the answer herself she replied with a simple 'soon.'

Now, she sat curled up on the couch watching Carter playing with toy trains on the floor of the living room. She took a deep breath ready to begin the talk with carter. 'Hey, baby, can I talk to you for a sec?" Lyla asked. Carter turned around, his green eyes looking up at her questionably.

"About what, Momma?" Carter replied looking a little scared, like he was in trouble. He had that fearful look in his eyes that he usually had when he was breaking the rules.

"It's about your daddy." With that she had Carters full attention and he climbed up onto the couch to sit beside her. She turned her body so she was able to look at him. She smiled down at him, mentally preparing herself for an inquisition when she was done explaining herself.

"There are some kids that have real daddies and step-daddy. Step-daddy's aren't the child's real father, they are married to the child's mother. Do you understand?" She asked.

"I think so.' He squinted up at her; she could see the dears turning in his head. Lyla knew she needed a better tactic.

"You know your daddy, Carter?" Lyla asked.

"Yes." He replied.

"Well he isn't your real daddy. You aren't related by blood, he is your step-daddy." Lyla said slowly.

He stared up at her as his eyes slowly lit up, starting to understand what she was saying. "So I don't have a real daddy then?" He asked suddenly looking sad.

"You do, baby. Tim Riggins is your real daddy." Lyla replied.

"So I have two daddies?" Carter questioned excitedly.

Lyla frowned. "No honey, your dad and I broke up. You won't be seeing him anymore. But, you can see your real daddy all you want."

"I don't want Tim Riggins to be my dad! I just want my daddy back!" Carter shouted as he began to cry and ran up the stairs into her bedroom.

Lyla gave her son a few minutes to think things over before she slowly got off the couch and made her way to Carters room. "Carter, baby?" She slowly opened the door and found him lying face down on his bed crying. She sprang forward, her heart breaking from seeing her son in pain. She sat on the bed and grabbed her son and pulled him onto her lap. Holding him close to her chest, she comforted him while he cried.

After a while he finally slowed down and was whimpering. "Does he not love me anymore?" Carter asked peaking up at her.

"He loves you with all his heart." Lyla replied. She was gently wiping away his tears as she rubbed his back.

"Why'd he leave?"

"Because of me, baby. I asked him to."

"Why?"

"I don't love him anymore. Grown-ups stay together because they love each other, but when they stop they break up. They say goodbye and find new people to love. That's what happened to me and your daddy." Lyla replied hoping she explained it well enough so he understood.

"Will I see him again?" Carter asked looking up at her.

"If you want to, but you still have a dad. You have Tim, he wants to take care of you and get to know you." She replied.

"Tim's my daddy too?"

"Yes, baby, your real one." She took a second for him to understand before whispering "I love you."

Carter turned his body and reached up and threw his arms around her neck. "I love you, too, momma." He whispered back into her ear.

Lyla hugged her son, cherishing the moment. She pulled back so she could pick him up and pull down the blankets on the bed. She laid him down and tucked him in. Lyla gave him a kiss on his forehead and said "Good Night." She retreated back out into the hallway after turning off his light and shutting the door.

Exhausted from the day she had she walked back into her room and found her way under the covers of her bed. It was still early but decided to turn in for she knew she had a long day ahead of her tomorrow.

* * *

The next day Lyla rushed through her daily activities of making breakfast, getting Carter ready for school, dropping him off at daycare and returning home to finish homework. AS she sat in the study, books piled high on her desk with sheets spread out in front of her she couldn't concentrate on the task at hand. All morning she had a nagging thought that kept pulling her focus. Giving up on homework for the meantime she jumped out and ran to her car and pulled out of the driveway.

When she reached her destination she jumped out, not wanting to lose her courage she pounded on the door. Tim opened the door half clothed; his hair disheveled clearly having just gotten out of bed. "Do you really want this, Tim?" Lyla asked practically shouting.

"Want what?" Tim said squinting at her, his eyes not having adjusted to the afternoon sun.

"Want me, want Carter, a family?" She replied.

"Of course I do, why would you even ask that?"

"Because, Tim, being a father will be a lot of work, you can't just be his friend you have to be a role model too. It's not all fun and games, its hard and tiring. How do you know you'll be able to handle it all?"

"I think I can handle it, trust me." Tim stepped forward pulling her into an embrace. "I have to show you something."

After he went back into the house to grab a shirt he returned and ushered her into his truck. They drove on the back roads, both sitting in silence, not knowing what to say to fill the void. After a ten minutes Tim pulled over to the side of the road and jumped out. Lyla followed suit and walked around the trunk to the side and stood beside Tim.

"Why'd you bring me here, Tim?" Lyla asked.

"I bought it. The whole plot of land, it's ours. There's a house and barn over there all sitting on fifty acres of land. I want to live here, with you and Carter." Tim replied.

Lyla looked out over the field and took it all in, the rolling green hills and trees, it was beautiful. She pictured Carter and Tim spending all day outside playing football or hunting or fishing. "You want us to live here with you?" She questioned. She knew his answer but wanted him to say it out loud so that it would be official.

"Yes. Lyla, I love you and I want to spend every day with you and our son. I want to spend it here on this land and never be apart again." He replied.

She turned to face him, standing up on her tippy toes she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a soft peck on the lips. "I love you, too. I would also love to live with you and our son, here." She gave him another kiss, waiting a few seconds before she pulled away. "Don't leave me again, please?"

"Never." He whispered and kissed her again. He wrapped his arms around her waist holding her tight to him, refusing to let her go.

Lyla knew she was home. All doubts were erased and she knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Tim Riggins. She wanted to raise their son together here, on this beautiful piece of land in Dillon. They were going to have more kids and he was going to be there and watch them grow up. Lyla knew that this was where she was going to spend the rest of her life, here, in Tim Riggins arms'.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, this was not how I imagined the story to go or that it would end this soon but this just felt right. I do have one more surprise for you guys. Just finishing up the very last chapter for this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and wasn't too disappointed. If you hated it, please review. If you loved it, please review. **


	13. Chapter 13

_Four years later_

Tim was sitting on the steps of his home, a home which he shared with Lyla and Carter. They moved in six months after he bought it, when the house was finally restored and ready to be lived in. He had to repair a few walls, completely redo the kitchen, paint, and build a wraparound porch. It turned out amazing and Lyla said she fell in love with it all over again once it was renovated.

Carter wasn't too happy to be moving out of his old house but when Tim took him on a tour of the fifty acre land and all the activities they could do, the boy couldn't wait to move in. The two often spent their nights before dinner tossing the football around practicing plays. Carter was now eight and started playing a few years ago; he had his mind set on quarterback. As for Tim, he was happy coaching alongside Billy for the Panthers. Last season they had come close to state but fell short in the semifinals.

Tim had asked Lyla to marry him a few months after he bought the house. They got married the next month and travelled to Hawaii with Carter for their honeymoon. Lyla then had finished her studies and had gotten a job as a nurse at the hospital in maternity ward and she absolutely loved it. She loved helping new mothers and helping giving birth. "What are you thinking about?" Lyla asked from behind him as she walked down a few steps, sitting down and joining him.

"Nothing." Tim smiled at her. "How's our girl doing?" He rubbed Lyla's belly and she placed her hand on top of his.

"It could be a boy." She laughed.

"Nah, I got a good feeling it's a girl." He replied. Her belly was starting to grow, she was already six months and her belly looked huge. Tim kissed her cheek and wrapped his arm around her back pulling her into his side. They sat silently as they watched the sun begin to make its descent behind the trees.

"I better go check on our son, who knows what kind of trouble he's getting himself into." Lyla said as she pushed herself up off the step and retreated back into the house. With the mention of his son he thought back four years ago to their first meeting as father and son.

_Lyla had told him to be careful around Carter; he wasn't exactly thrilled that Jordan wasn't his biological dad. That overnight he had lost the father he had known all his life and had gained a new one, one he had never met until the month before. Tim was nervous, this was the first time he would be meeting his son, officially. This was a meeting where each one knew of the other, that they were father and son. _

_Tim came prepared with a teddy bear dressed in football gear. Lyla had informed him that Carter was ready to meet with him. It had been a few days since she broke the news to their son and he was starting to warm up to Tim again. He wasn't sure how Carter was going to treat him, before this they were getting along great but everything changed when the truth was finally told. _

_Tim nervously walked up the front steps to Lyla's house and rang the doorbell. The door flew open and Carter ran into him jumping up onto Tim. Luckily he wasn't taken too much by surprise and was able to catch Carter. "Hi, daddy!" Carter said. He had a big grin on his face, one that Tim reciprocated. _

_"Hey, buddy." Tim replied. He squeezed his son tightly and let himself into the house. Lyla came out of the kitchen laughing at the two. "Look what I found." Tim started tickling Carter and the boy squirmed his way out of Tim's grasp. "I bought you this." Tim said, handing the stuffed animal to Carter once he was set firmly on the ground._

_"I love it!" Carter responded enthusiastically. The boy reached up and dragged Tim into living room where he had cars sprawled over the carpet. "I'm glad you get to be my dad too!"_

_"Why's that?" Tim asked as he knelt down beside his son who was now playing with the cars, rather content._

_"Because you're really cool and you play football. Also, I think my mamma likes you." Carter responded. _

_"I kind of like your mom, too." Tim said not able to contain his smile. "I also like you too, buddy." He sat there for a while playing with his son and he realized he hadn't been this happy in a long time. _

_Tim felt he was being watched and he turned around to see Lyla standing in the doorway watching him and Carter. He got up and walked over to her. "Carter seems to be taking everything well." Tim stated._

_"Yeah, he does. He's a pretty resilient kid." Lyla smiled at him. "You're going to be a good dad, Tim." She put a hand to his chest and leaned in giving him a soft kiss. It was quick, like a habit, like they would do it every day for the rest of their lives._

"What are you doing out here?" Tim heard from behind him. He turned around and saw Carter standing there watching him, he had two brown bottles in his hand.

"Just thinking." Tim replied. Carter sat down beside him handing over a bottle of root beer. He looked over at his son; he was now eight and looked almost identical to Tim. He was also the best on his football team; it was natural, God-given talent. Tim never pushed him into football, he never wanted to be one of those dads who was crazy obsessed with their son's career at a young age. Instead, Carter had begged him for weeks at the age of six to finally let him play, both Lyla and Tim gave in, giving their son what he really wanted.

"About what?" Carter asked looking up at him, his eyes sparked with curiosity.

"You know, it was never my dream to go to the NFL or college. I thought that high school football was always going to be enough." He replied.

"What happened?"

"My best friend, Jason, the top quarterback in Texas got injured, paralyzed from the chest down. He was the one who was going to play for Notre Dame then eventually drafted to the NFL. I felt like it was my job to live the dreams he never got to fulfill. I loved playing college football and was ecstatic when I got drafted because I never thought I would ever leave Texas." Tim responded. He looked out over the horizon, the sun close to setting, casting a contrast of oranges and pinks.

"My dream back then was to live on a big plot of land that Jason lived on with your mom. They were supposed to get married and I would live with them and I would get one percent of his earnings. Texas Forever." Tim said.

"Texas forever?" Carter asked confused.

"It was a saying we had; me, him and Texas, forever." Tim replied.

"I like that." His son responded.

"Yeah?" Tim asked glancing down at his son.

"Yeah. Texas Forever." Carter said as he clinked his bottle with Tim's root beer bottle.

"Texas Forever." Tim replied. 

* * *

**A/N: Thank you SO MUCH for reading and supporting this story! I hope the ending was acceptable for everyone, I really wanted to get the Texas Forever in there, especially between Tim and Carter. Notice it's almost like the series finale? I hope everyone enjoyed the story and wasn't too disappointed with it. This was my first fanfic and I am just so grateful for the reviews and support and for it actually being read. ****I LOVE Tim and Lyla so you can bet there will be more Tim/Lyla fanfics from me in the future. I also have an idea for a Tulie fanfic, which may be my next story. **


End file.
